In 1990, the uncommon baby name Tevin shot all the way into the boys’ top 500 — a jump that qualified Tevin as the fastest-rising baby name of the year. Tevin went on to reach peak popularity a couple of years later:
- 1993: 1,201 baby boys named Tevin (rank: 241st)
- 1992: 1,936 baby boys named Tevin (rank: 162nd) [peak]
- 1991: 1,099 baby boys named Tevin (rank: 250th)
- 1990: 607 baby boys named Tevin (rank: 381st)
- 1989: 13 baby boys named Tevin
- 1988: 10 baby boys named Tevin
Tevin’s sudden trendiness also bolstered the usage of similar names — including Tevan, Teven, Tevon, Tevyn, Telvin, and Tevaughn — in the early 1990s.
What was the influencing the name?
Texas-born R&B singer Tevin Campbell, who was just 13 years old when his first single came out.
His debut album, T.E.V.I.N. (1991), spawned eight singles — two of which became big hits. Grammy-nominated “Round and Round” peaked at #12 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in April of 1991, and slow jam “Tell Me What You Want Me To Do” peaked at #6 in February of 1992.
Here’s the audio for “Round and Round.” (The background vocals were contributed by Prince, who was also the writer and producer of the song.)
What are your thoughts on the name Tevin? (Do you like it more or less than, say, Kevin?)
Sources: Tevin Campbell – Billboard, Round and Round by Tevin Campbell – Songfacts, Tevin Campbell – Wikipedia, SSA